msmandrake's review
2.0
"OK" is the perfect summation for this book. It is quite short and just isn't a whole lot to sink your teeth in. Now it isn't poor Charlotte's fault that she was only 21 when she died and led the sheltered life of a princess but that's the truth and there just isn't a great deal to say about her. Her weird, warring parents are interesting characters, certainly. And there could be a lot to say about King Leopold, but after Charlotte's death they just sum up the rest of his life briefly, despite the title he is not half the focus. Read his Wikipedia page and you'll learn as much as there is here.
allyriadayne's review
4.0
4,5 stars!! it would have been five of the author had bothered to give more context and sentiment.
I have never read anything about Princess Charlotte but because I was in a 18-19th century British Royal Family mood (thanks ITV Victoria) I had to pick this one up, specially because I was curious about there being a female heiress to the throne before Queen Victoria (also because Gillian Gill's Victoria and Albert book talked extensively about this).
So anyway, this was a short, if rather dry, book about (you guessed) Princess Charlotte, and her marriage to Prince Leopold. I liked it a lot and it showed me how much of a dick the Prince Regent was yikes, plus it made me think about how interesting would be to think what would have happened if Princess Charlotte hadn't died in childbirth.
I have never read anything about Princess Charlotte but because I was in a 18-19th century British Royal Family mood (thanks ITV Victoria) I had to pick this one up, specially because I was curious about there being a female heiress to the throne before Queen Victoria (also because Gillian Gill's Victoria and Albert book talked extensively about this).
So anyway, this was a short, if rather dry, book about (you guessed) Princess Charlotte, and her marriage to Prince Leopold. I liked it a lot and it showed me how much of a dick the Prince Regent was yikes, plus it made me think about how interesting would be to think what would have happened if Princess Charlotte hadn't died in childbirth.
hattiereadssomanybooks_x's review
4.0
This book feels like it would be good as an overview before further historical research. Still good though.
awall14's review
4.0
Pretty good overview of Princess Charlotte’s life. By no means the most detailed book, but I liked that it didn’t drag on and focused on the Princess not a bunch of outside political stuff.
Fun to think about “what-if” scenarios too! If she hadn’t died no “Victorian” era!
Fun to think about “what-if” scenarios too! If she hadn’t died no “Victorian” era!
catherinejay's review
3.0
A great introductory read to a couple that I knew very little about. The writing was clear and simple without being dull and covered important events in details without being excessive.
colleenrec's review
3.0
A quick and engaging read, it covers the basic points of Charlotte's life and Leopold's involvement without much depth. A good starting point for someone expanding their knowledge of the Regency period.
traecrochet's review
2.0
I have always been fascinated with royalty, and Princess Charlotte of Wales always seemed like an interesting figure. Who was this princess whose death directly caused the birth of Queen Victoria? Sadly, this book left a lot to the imagination. I thought it would be more about Charlotte and Leopold, but it was more about Charlotte’s life before the marriage and the Leopold’s life after she died. Granted they were only married a year, but it could have been fleshed out more.
There were also some inaccuracies that really should have been caught. It makes me wonder what else was wrong in the book.
There were also some inaccuracies that really should have been caught. It makes me wonder what else was wrong in the book.
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